Maynard, a single mom, says in a statement to People magazine, "I have no regrets because I did find love and shared an incredible journey with a really special person -- and you know what, we tried our best because the love between us was so real."

"I have nothing but respect and love for Jef and his family, but ultimately we are just at different points in our lives," she added.

In his own statement, Holm says, "Emily and I are great friends and I hope we can continue to be friends forever. Everyone wants a salacious story to break, but the truth is we are just two people who fell in love and tried our hardest to make it work. I will always love her."

According to E! Online, Holm recently changed his relationship status on Facebook from "engaged" to "single." On Monday, he re-tweeted a comment that reads, "God has a way to heal your sorrow. God has a way to touch your tomorrow. Trust him."

Maynard's last post on Twitter is an Instagram photo depicting the following message: "She is clothed with strength & dignity and laughs without fear of the future."

Holm and Maynard got engaged on the most recent season of ABC's The Bachelorette, which aired over the summer.

ABC/RICK ROWELL(LOS ANGELES) -- When Emily Maynard gave the final rose to Jef Holm on the season finale of The Bachelorette, she may have been hiding her real feelings.

Sources tell In Touch, contestant Arie Luyendyk Jr. was her first choice, but “[Jef] won because Emily didn’t have any other options.”

The report says Luyendyk left the show after learning Maynard slept with Holm on their fantasy suite date. The source says Luyendyk had slept with Maynard on multiple occasions, but he "didn't know that she had been sleeping with other people." Once he found out, he "started to wonder if he knew this woman."

To save the "bachelorette" from embarassment, the source claims show producers reached out to Luyendyk and offered him money, a free vacation and a chance to become the next "Bachelor" in exchange for filming a date scene in which Maynard would dump him.

The In Touch source claims producers told Luyendyk, “You’re going to make this look really bad for yourself if you don’t come along. You’re contractually obligated if we want you there.”

ABC/ROMAN FRANCISCO(NEW YORK) -- What a difference a year makes for “Bachelorette” Emily Maynard. The 26-year-old single mom from Charlotte, N.C., whose engagement to Bachelor Brad Womack last year turned out to be short-lived, accepted the proposal of 27-year-old Utah entrepreneur Jef Holm on the season finale of her ABC series Sunday night.

The moment was anti-climactic for viewers, since Emily had already sent home the runner-up, 30-year-old race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr., during a very brief but emotional get-together with him.

The Caribbean island of Curacao was the setting for the finale, which began with Jef and Arie meeting Emily’s family separately. Her father, mother and brother approved of both men, so it was left to Emily to make her own decision.

She settled on Jef after she introduced him to her 6-year-old daughter, Ricki, with whom he instantly bonded. The next day, she told host Chris Harrison she knew she wanted to be with Jef, and that she would end her relationship with Arie.

After exchanging pleasantries with Arie at the start of what he expected to be their final date, she broke down in tears and confided that she couldn’t be with him anymore. Emily wanted to have a longer conversation with Arie, but he made it clear to her that he wanted to avoid a drawn-out goodbye.

Later, in what was a mere formality, Jef popped the question, Emily presented the final rose, and they became engaged.

And yes, they are still engaged. On the After the Final Rose special, Jef said he will move to Charlotte and will continue to plan his wedding with Emily. She said they have not yet set a date or location, though she hinted at a spring wedding, possibly in Charleston. Presumably, she meant Charleston, S.C., which is about 200 miles south of Charlotte.

In the short term, the couple plans to make a humanitarian trip to Africa to build water wells for the needy.

Arie also appeared on the After the Final Rose special, revealing that he flew to Charlotte after taping the show in an attempt to see Emily one more time and get closure. However, he said, he reconsidered, instead calling her and leaving at her home a personal journal he’d written throughout the competition. Emily brought the journal with her to the special, but said she never read it because she didn’t think it would do anyone much good.

Emily was previously engaged to Ricki's father, NASCAR driver and team owner Ricky Hendrick, who died in a plane crash in 2004, and Brad Womack, from whom she split not long after the 2011 Bachelor season finale aired.

The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise continues Monday night with the season premiere of ABC’s Bachelor Pad.

The network has yet to announce who the new “Bachelor” will be when that show returns next year.